


stars

by heelsandarrows



Series: hell or highwater [6]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: College, F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4833092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heelsandarrows/pseuds/heelsandarrows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Isn't this illegal?"</p><p>"No... At least I don't think so. Besides I have a key. Just relax and trust me."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> based kinda on this post http://iitsforyourowngood.tumblr.com/post/129351993683/clover824-so-while-i-was-watching-the suggesting that mr maheswaran is in to space so

"Isn't this illegal?"

"No... At least I don't think so. Besides I have a key. Just relax and trust me," Doug said looking back to his girlfriend. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, pulling her along with him. He turned on the lights then locked the doors behind him.

Priyanka looked around and whistled mock impressively, “So this is where you spend the rest of your time, huh glasses guy?”

Doug nodded, “Yup… I still can’t believe you’ve never been in here before.”

“I never saw a need to. It’s calming in here though,” the whole atmosphere of the planetarium, was very relaxing. It was comfortable to her, as comfortable as what essentially was like a museum could be at least. She walked around, letting her fingers drag across the plaques, skimming the information. The med student’s eyes bounced around to the different displays, then the landed back on Doug. She realized then, it had felt so nice because it reminded her of him. 

“You still haven’t seen the best part,” a grin spread across his face as he grabbed her hand again pulling her into the large auditorium area. It was dark, he couldn’t see very well, but he knew his place around there like the back of his hand. Making his way to the control booth he instructed Priyanka to say there while he set it all up. 

Moments later, a new light came on. Up above bared images of the night sky. Priyanka let out an audible gasp looking up at the sky. Doug grabbed the remote and jumped over and on to some chairs in his way. He made his way to the other side of the wall and out the hallway. He came back carrying pillows and blankets. A laugh came from Priyanka as he almost tripped over the last two chairs getting to her.

Doug fixed his slightly askew glasses, then laid the blanket down on the ground. “It’s more comfortable this way,” he sat down and patted the spot next to him.

“I see,” She sat down. “Guess you’ve done this routine before with a bunch of other girls huh?”

“Nope,” he shook his head laughing slightly. “You’re the only one I’ve ever brought here.”

She blushed and looked away. “So you just happened to have a pillow and blanket stored away here? Not planning anything are you?” She asked grinning and looking back at him.

“I’m not trying- I don’t want to- I mean unless you want to- I just, nap here a lot. Looking at the sky relaxes me.” He put his head in his hands, feeling embarrassed. 

“I’m just teasing. And I don’t care if you take naps on the floor of a planetarium. It’s what make you you, and I love you.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. It was dark, but the illumination of the stars showed the blush that crept up on his cheeks. They’d been dating for almost a year now, but she still had the effect on him that could make him just melt in her hands at a moment's notice.

Doug, fixed his glasses again, trying to sound more collected than he felt. Then he pointed up at the sky above, “Do you see those collection of stars? They’re my favorite,” In a moments notice he was off rambling again. It was soothing, hearing him talk about the stars and planets.

All the facts he had seemed endless. Minutes later they ended up on their backs, he was holding her hand and pointing. Priyanka looked over at him as he talked, drowning out most of what he was saying. The only thing she could focus on was how passionate he was about the subject. It was a joy to be there enjoying what he liked so much. 

He went through so many different views of the night sky, excitedly pointing out the planets from the stars. He flicked back to night sky and sighed happily. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Priyanka felt herself drifting off to sleep, then Doug spoke again. “They’re gonna shut the planetarium down.”

Her eyes almost flew open, “What? Why?” She sat up looking concerned at him. 

“They say it’s too much to operate. The number of students majoring in astrology and what not have dropped a lot. People aren’t visiting as much. It just losing money.”

“I’m sorry…” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “I know how much this place means to you.”

“It’s alright, all good things come to an end, right? It just, it scares me that's all. I don’t have a plan and it's scary.”

“Plan for what?” 

“Life,” he said with a shrug. “Like after college. I thought I knew what I wanted. But, I don't think this is right anymore. I feel like my parents were always right. There's no jobs out there for me. Not really. Not when places like this are getting shut down. Maybe this is just best as a hobby type thing.”

Priyanka sat up to look at him, “You can't think that way, Doug. I’m sure you’ll find something out there. Don’t give up on your passions and your dreams.” 

“I’m not. You’re my dream, Priyanka. I want to be able to support you.”

“Listen, you don’t have to support me or anything, I can handle myself.” She stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. “Who knows if you'll always be there.”

At that Doug sat up, “I always want to be there for you." He was on his knee, and grabbed her hand. “Priyanka, I love you more than than the amount of stars in the universe. You shine brighter than any of them. You’re charming, sweet, and drive me crazy. I don’t think I could imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. You’re my dream. Will you marry me?” He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it exposing the ring inside.

Her heart was racing. This was crazy. It was so soon. Too early in her life. She felt like the most logical thing to do would be to say no. It made the most sense considering the time of life she was in. Her heart had a mind of it’s own. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, even though it seemed to barely start. “Yes,” She said breaking out into a grin. She couldn’t stop nodding. She felt like she was about to cry even. It was strange, she didn’t care. 

Doug smiled, slipping the ring on her finger. He pulled her down for a kiss. One he didn’t want to end. He tumbled backwards, head hitting a chair, but he didn’t care. They broke apart and laughed. She buried her head in his chest, smiling. There wasn’t a better feeling than this.


	2. Chapter 2

It hadn’t even been 24 hours, until she came to her senses, and thought over her decisions. It was a moment of passion and affection she accepted his proposal. She couldn’t stop thinking about how bad this was going to be for them. 

Priyanka waited outside his door for a few minutes before knocking. He opened the door, grinning brightly when he saw who it was, it only made what she had to do hurt more. Doug's face changed when he noted her expression. "What's wrong?" 

"I-I... We..." She shook her head, "I can't marry you... We can't get married, it's not right." She looked down at the ground. 

"What do you mean it's not right? I love you. And you love me, right? Why is this wrong then? Unless, you don't want to be with me..."

"I do!" She said quickly. "I love you, but-"

"But what? I don't get it? Are you not ready? We can wait..."

"No..." She shook her head. "I just... We're not the same. Your parents already don't approve of me just dating you- imagine if we got married-."

"Stop. This isn't about them, it's about us. I don't care what they say, or want, or think. I care about you." He reached out and brushed hair out of her face. "If you don't want to marry me because of your own choice or feelings, then fine. What other people think doesn't matter." 

Priyanka rested her forehead on his, taking a deep breath. "You deserve more, someone better, I'm just-"

"Just some merchant's daughter?" He interrupted pulling away from her. "Because you're more than that. You're not confined to that your whole life. This isn't India. Just because that's all my parents can see from you, doesn't mean you have to think like that. You're smart, beautiful, kind, and wonderful. You're Priyanka Maheswaran, and the love of my life."

"Durja, your parents will-"

"Will what? Disown me? Jaanu, I don’t want to be a doctor, they’re disappointed in me for that. I changed my name, and they hate that. They already treat me as if I’m not around or apart of their family. I’m never going to be anything but a disappointment to them, but I don’t care. I don’t care about caste, I care about you." He placed a kiss on her forehead. 

She could feel tears forming in her eyes, "I just, I don't want you to lose the relationship you have with your parents because of me."

"I can't lose something that I don't have."

Priyanka felt herself begin to cry. "I'm sorry..." She looked down at her hands, her ring resting on the palm of her hand. 

"Pri..." He took the ring from her and looked back up at her. "Despite our differences, or what my parents think of you, I want to spend my life with you. I don't care what others say. I love you." He got down on one knee and looked up at him. He took a deep breath trying to remember the correct words and pronunciation. "Ennai thirumanam saeivaya?"

Priyanka laughed and shook her head. "You learned that for me?"

"How was it?"

"Well it was pretty good... I'm impressed you ask me like that." She smiled at him. "To answer you, yes. Besides I already answered you when you asked me last night." 

Doug slipped the ring on her finger again, "I know... I just, I figured after this, it would be nice to reaffirm."

She smiled and pulled him into a hug. "I love you... I'm sorry. I shouldn't care about this so much."

"It's fine, it doesn't matter. It makes sense you would care, because that's what you do, is care." He kissed the side of her head. 

The two stood there for a couple of minutes, until she spoke again. "Are you going somewhere...?" She peered over his shoulder noting a pile of clothes next to an empty suitcase. 

"Hm?" He glanced behind him. "Oh... I was just going to be gone for tomorrow."

"But where are you going?"

"I was going to go and visit you parents."

"My parents?" Her eyes widened in surprise. 

"Well, I was going to ask them for your hand. I didn't want to do it over the phone, I figured this is the kind of thing you do in person. They're not too far away so, I figured I'd go.”

“So, you do still stick to some tradition then, do you?” 

He laughed, “Yes… But let it be known that whatever they say I’m going to marry you anyway. My heart belongs to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw u have too many headcanons so u have to write a fic abt it. 
> 
> But also he totally took her last name, especially after his parents found out they were getting married. 
> 
> And Ennai thirumanam saeivaya Is Will you marry me in Tamil
> 
> AND Durja is my headcanon birth name for Doug bc Doug is such a white ppl name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this got really long i could make it it's own story and not just a chapter added to this but im really bad at titles and summaries so it was easiest for me just to do this. thanks. also there is a lot of family mention.

"What if they don't like me?"

"Don't say that, of course they'll like you, who doesn't?"

"Well, I mean there's my parents for starters-"

"Shh... Just don't think about it, just be yourself okay? There's nothing to be nervous about." She grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek for reassurance. 

As he took another step to the building he felt his stomach flip. He’d met her parents before, but that somehow seemed much easier than meeting the rest of her family. It was large, much larger than his. The way she spoke so highly about each of her siblings made him afraid that if he couldn’t get a good relationship with them it’d be more of a deal breaker than not getting along with her parents. He tried to keep himself calm with the idea that if it was such a deal breaker, she would’ve introduced him before agreeing to marry him. 

It was a strange feeling, to be spending his first major holiday without his family. Even if the bonfire and meeting was small the night before, then Holi consisted mostly of Dev grinding color into his hair, it was always a constant he had. Now he had nothing. 

After around a month of keeping the whole being engaged thing kept secret when it came time to tell his parents they took it exactly how he thought they would. Very very badly. He was glad he decided to wait for a month before telling them, getting through finals would’ve been a nightmare with that extra stress. 

They had every right to be mad at him, he deliberately disobeyed orders and didn’t end his relationship with Priyanka, kept it a secret for a good four or five months then decided to propose to her without even consulting them about the whole thing. In the very end however, no matter what he did that broke their rules, nothing could erase and forgive that his parents choose only to see status. He didn’t even care anymore that he was never welcome back home. It wasn’t his home anymore, his home would be wherever Priyanka would be. 

Her parent’s house was smaller, and the amount of people that had been crammed inside made it so much cramped. “Are you related to everyone here?” Doug whispered to her as she lead him inside.

Priyanka smiled and shook her head, stifling a laugh, “No… Just a handful… Everyone else is just a family friend, aunties, uncles, that sort of thing,” she said with a shrug. It took them around thirty minutes to get to the kitchen. Greeting everyone was bound to happen he knew it. What he didn’t expect, was that after Priyanka introduced him and why exactly he was here, that it was taken so well. Each time she finished talking about Doug and introducing him, she’d get brushed aside while he got interviewed with dozens of questions. 

No matter what he did or said, people were interested, people thought what he did was cool and interesting. They liked it and genuinely wanted to hear more. It was a completely crazy idea for him to wrap his head around that complete strangers would take interest in his life.

Near the end it was starting to get to him, it felt wrong to be taking such compliments like these. There wasn’t anyone there to put him down, tell him that learning about space isn’t going to make him money. His parents weren’t there to do that. He didn’t even realize it, but it just happened. People started to become interested in what he studied but he couldn’t help but downplay it, criticize it himself. 

People just kept coming from every which way to praise him, give him compliments and just be nice. He didn’t know how to handle it. There was a sensor that Priyanka had that seemed to pick this up right away. She noted carefully his signs of shaking, stuttering, nerves, uncomfortableness, and knew that there had to be an anxiety attack coming up. 

She knew Doug well enough to know that at an overwhelming amount of people anxiety attack, was to just get him alone. She ended his conversations politely as she could, claiming she had things to do and that she needed him. Priyanka pulled him away and to the kitchen where there still were a handful of people.

Too many people still, so opened the pantry and pulled him inside. "You doing okay? I figured you could use a breather..." 

Doug nodded and took a deep breath, "Yeah... There's just so many people all trying to talk to me I don't get it."

“What don’t you get? People want to talk to you, they like you. Just like I said they would.”

He couldn’t help but shrug, “I mean… I guess,” he laughed nervously. “I just- I’m not used to the attention. I don’t know how to handle it.”

“I could tell… Usually, you’re pretty good at standing up for what you’re passionate about when someone challenges it. But no one was challenging it, so you had to yourself.”

“I-I...I guess if someone else wasn’t going to do it, I should, right? I dunno…” He shook his head and took a couple of deep breaths before speaking again, “There were just so many people... “

“Just take a moment… Calm down… It’s just you and me here, in this tiny pantry, alright? Just breathe,” She said reached out to him, pulling him into a hug. Contact was always nice. It was safe and reassuring. It was silent for a few minutes as Doug calmed himself down. Then the door opened. 

“Well well, what do we have here?” They split apart and Doug saw an unfamiliar face in front of him. “Which one is he?” The girl asked looking at him. “Raj right? No, no, I know, Nikhil… Wait no. This has to be the guy you were telling me about last week, Priyanka, right? What was it? Arjun?”

“Ha-Ha very funny,” Priyanka spoke up next to him. He felt more confused than ever at that moment. “Those sound more like the names of your past boyfriends than anything else. Anjali, this is Doug. Doug- this is my best friend, and little sister, Anjali.” She said proudly. 

“Ah,” he nodded and shook her hand, as soon as she said Anjali it all made sense to him. “Well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” she said giving him a smile. Then she turned her attention back to Priyanka, “Mom was looking for you earlier, by the way. I think she had a problem that was sorted out in the end, but thought you should know. Anyway, I just needed to grab another box of crackers- get back to snack fill up duty. I’ll talk to you later okay?” She said and reached into the pantry grabbing a box of crackers next to her. “I’ll let you two get back to… whatever it was you were doing. Doug, it was nice to meet you.”

With a farewell she left. “Sorry for that…” Priyanka said blushing slightly, “Didn’t really expect her to come barging in like that. We can talk to her later okay? I wanna introduce you to the twins, if you’re okay to do that right now?”

“Hm? Yeah… I’m fine, and it doesn’t matter. Things like that happen. She’s a nice girl though.”

Priyanka smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the smaller space. They walked around a bit maneuvering through the smaller house, saying hi to the occasional person, barely ever stopping to talk. She pulled him out to the back of the house where the fire was. 

There wasn’t a lot being done with the fire at this point, but Nadir was still there adding even more to the huge flames. Priyanka pulled him along to the fire and introduced him. A warm sensation flooded over him as she did so. It wasn’t because of the huge bonfire, but more from the fact that she introduced him as her fiance. It’d been official since November and it was March now, but this was the first time she introduced him like that, and even to someone of her family. 

Being by the fire was nice, it was darker out than it was when they arrived, now that people were getting tired of being inside there was more of a crowd starting to gather around the fire. Priyanka had been pulled aside for a few minutes but Doug didn’t find it hard to keep up a conversation with Nadir. He was a senior, and looking into engineering to pursue, so it wasn’t completely out of his range of things he knew about. He considered engineering for awhile, then decided that he didn’t like math that much to continue on.

When Priyanka returned a few minutes later she pulled Doug excitedly along, abruptly ending his conversation with Nadir. He wanted to go back and apologize to him but she seemed so excited about something else. It was just to the other end of the fire pit that he was dragged however. 

“Hey-” She snapped her fingers in the face of a younger boy sitting in a lawn chair on some device that Doug couldn’t see. “I’ve got him, you gonna get you head out of your stupid game to say hi?” She said placing her hands on her hips. 

The boy looked up from his game a moment later, “This guy?” He said and stifled a laugh.

Priyanka rolled her eyes, “Yes. This guy, don’t be rude,” she shook her head and turned back to Doug. “Doug, this is Aman. Aman this is-”

“I know who he is! He’s your boyfriend, Durja-” he said in a mocking tone, which received a smack upside the head from his sister.

“Doug,” she forcefully reminded him. “And he’s my fiance."

The ten year old groaned, "I know... I'm just playing around." His attention moved from his sister then to Doug again. "So... You're the guy who's gonna marry my sister? I just got one question for you. Why on earth would you wanna do that?! She's controlling and bratty and snobby and a neat freak and rule-follower. Believe me when I say, you could do so much better.”

Doug lifted an eyebrow, “Really? You think so?” he said with a smile. “I dunno… I kinda like her, she’s okay most of the time, I mean she doesn't smell so that’s a plus, right? But hey, on the bright side, it'll get her out of your hair won’t it?”

Aman laughed, “I suppose you're right about that… Just, don't bring her back alright?” 

He smiled and looked over at Priyanka, “I don't ever intend to let her go, don't worry.” 

A small blush creeped up on her face bad she shook her head, “You two are just so kind to me, aren't you?” Aman stuck his tongue out at her. “One last thing,” she added looking down at her youngest brother, “Can I borrow a squirt gun from you for tomorrow?”

There wasn't so much as a beat before he protested, “No! Why?”

“Why? Aman, tomorrow is Holi. I wanted to borrow one to spray people with.”

“Well, then that's exactly why I need them. I need to be armed. How am I supposed to ambush you then?”

She smiled and shook her head, “Whatever… do you know where Siraj is?”

“He’s over by the swing,” the boy said and pointed then turned back to his game. 

Priyanka shook her head once more and headed over to where he pointed and dragged him along. “So, just so I’m making sure, Siraj and Nadir are the identical twins?” 

“Mhmm…” She said and nodded, “Siraj works hard at trying have some facial hair pretty constantly so don't be scared about not being able to tell them apart or anything. Plus I’ll be there to help out.” 

“Of course,” he said giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

They walked for a few minutes until a child came rushing at them on a rope swing. Priyanka seemed unphased by the encounter as he took a step back trying to get out of the way. She pulled him over and waved to what he assumed was her brother, he couldn't see very well in the dark. 

There was a big tree with a light on it, illuminating a big rope swing. Getting into the light he saw him properly. Before she could say something he spoke, “You must be the fiancé,” his hand extended and Doug shook it. “Siraj,” he introduced himself. “Doug, right?” 

He nodded, “Yeah. It’s nice to meet you.” He seemed a lot more confident than his brother. 

“I see you’ve shaved,” Priyanka commented. “First time in months.”

He nodded, “It was just time,” only when she brought it up did he notice he was lacking the facial hair she promised. To him Nadir and Siraj looked the exact same. Taking him all in, he could've sworn that they had even been wearing the same clothes. Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, he didn't really know. 

Their conversation was fine, easy to uphold. Unlike his brother, Siraj talked a lot more. He multitasked trying to pull the rope back letting the kids swing while he talked. He was much more relaxed and unconcerned about college unlike Nadir. The conversation didn't last too long, he quickly became occupied with trying to work the swing and keep up with the kids in the area. 

It didn't matter too much however, he liked the idea of just walking around at night with Priyanka anyway. They headed out to the street, just walking. The silence was nice. “Well, did you enjoy meeting everyone?”

“Yeah…” He said nodding, “It was nice… I liked ‘em. It’s just overwhelming you know? There’s a lot of them. I’m just used to just the one,” he shrugged. “I mean it was hard enough to be around with him sometimes, I couldn't imagine having four siblings.”

“One’s just enough then?”

“One was fine,” he shrugged. “I mean, we were close. Dev and I got on each other’s nerves a lot, but it would always pass. The hardest thing was to just live up to him and meet my parents expectations.” 

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “I couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of stress that would be. My parents had expectations and hopes for me, but I never had someone to compare to. In general, just the idea of your parents being so focused on everything you and your siblings do and competing them against each other is weird. Before we moved here, my mother didn't work, then she got a job and both my parents were really busy. It wasn't unlike them to just show a bare interest in what we were all doing. Mostly they just relied on me to get it all under control. It’s like they're not really aware of the different things people accomplished.”

He nodded, "Makes sense. I just guess it's one of those differences in our pasts then."

Priyanka smiled, "It'll just help be better parents, you know if the time comes. Now we know not to compare, but still be actively involved and giving our kids the attention they deserve." 

He was taken aback a little bit at the sudden mention of kids. They were just engaged, in their early twenties, it was too early to be thinking about that. "Kids? At least ask me to dinner first," he joked. 

She rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully, "I wasn't say anything serious. It was just hypothetical. I was just trying to turn the situation around."

"I know, I know. I'm just joking." They walked in silence again. His head drifted upwards and he looked at the stars, finding an odd comfort in them. "Do you want a big family?" He asked her suddenly. 

"What?" The question surprised her, it seemed so out of the blue. Then she thought about it for a moment. "I-I don't know... I've never thought about it. I've never thought about having kids in general, honestly I just kind of thought I'd always be too busy. Why? Do you want a big family?"

Doug gave a small shrug, "I don't know... I mean, I've always wanted kids. That's all I know. I just thought you're so used to having so many people around that maybe-"

"Just stop. Sorry..." She rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "It's just too early, early in my life to think about all of this right now. I just want to get through school first. Let's just, put a pin in the conversation, come back to it in a few years, yeah? After we're actually married.”

“Works for me,” he said smiling. “We were just on the subject and I thought about it, but uh, we’re passed it now.” Doug cleared his mind and worked on changing the subject again, “How about we go back to the fire?” She agreed and they made their trek back to the backyard. 

Things got much more festive since they left, people were dancing and singing. He sat down on a log, but before Priyanka could sit she was called away. She promised him it would just be a moment and told him to wait there. 

It was like perfect timing that when she left that Siraj sat down next to him then Nadir sat on his other side. Or had it been Nadir who sat down first and then Siraj who sat down. Doug really wasn't sure who was on his left and who was on his right. He tried to recall what each were wearing when he met them, but couldn't. When he looked at each of them again his original suspicions were correct, that they both were wearing the same outfits. 

“Listen, we’ve got to have a little chat,” the one to his right started. 

“Mhmm, becoming a part of the family’s a pretty big deal…”

“Alright, I’ll listen. Just, help me out for a moment, and remind me your names again. I mean, i know it’s Siraj and Nadir, I just don't know which… And I’m sorry.”

The twins laughed. Doug felt bad that he didn't know, but he was hoping they’d help him out and tell him. Instead what he got was each of them claiming they were Nadir and that the other was Siraj leaving him with no real answer. 

“So, back to business,” the one on his left started. “So, we have some faith in our sister in making the right choices. We’re sure you’re a stand up guy, but that doesn’t get you off free. This conversation would’ve been a little more applicable, if you were just dating and not already engaged-”

“-But we’re still gonna do it. You see, Priyanka didn’t date much and when she falls for someone, she falls pretty hard. The last time she had her heartbroken it was awful. Just a mess… She’s looked out for us after our whole life, we’re just looking out for her now.”

“If you break her heart, we will come after you. She doesn’t deserve to be treated badly. Do not treat her badly.”

“What kind of a guy do you think I am?” Doug said incredulously. “I-I’m in love with her, I don’t wanna break her heart, I’m not going to. If I wasn’t serious do you think I would ask her to spend the rest of her life with me?”

The left twin, whom he was guessing to be Nadir looked over at his brother and shook his head, “I knew it was a stupid idea to bring this up, it’s just empty threats.”

“Stupid? It’s not stupid it’s being safe and looking out for our sister, bonehead!” 

“Listen-” Doug interrupted them, “I appreciate your concern and for you looking out for Priyanka, but really. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.” 

That seemed to satisfy them, “Well good. I’m glad you learned your lesson,” one said from the right as they both stood up. 

“Now that it’s cleared up, would you please tell me who is who?” 

The twins grinned at each other, “Not a chance,” they agreed before leaving.

He was back to sitting at the fire alone. He began to lose track of the time that past and instead his mind wandered to tomorrow and the plans. The was supposed to be a big gathering at a nearby park for Holi. Being around her family all day made him miss his own family. 

Perhaps he wasn’t missing them, but missing more the idea that his family would never be like this. He couldn’t go back to his house. Not anymore. He wasn’t sure if he was going to see his brother again either. When he had told Dev he didn’t care, however their parents cared too much and Dev always followed their rules, it wouldn’t be surprising if he wasn’t going to be allowed to see him. 

He tore his eyes from the fire and looked back up to the stars taking in all the constellations of the season and just thinking about the stars. They usually were able to provide some sense of comfort to him. He got tired of sitting and waiting so he finally got up and moved around. More often than he thought he ran into a twin. Always when he asked for some reason they’d claim to be Nadir. Maybe Doug just ran into Nadir all the time and was going crazy, he didn’t know. He was getting tired of it, that’s all he knew.

The walking and talking and avoiding trying to come in contact with the twins who’d just try and mess with him was nothing but exhausting. He just went back to his log. It was probably the best timing too, within a few minutes Priyanka sat down next to him. “Sorry, I didn’t think it’d be that long. I got surrounded and I couldn’t get out fast enough. You were fine here?” she asked reassuringly. 

Doug smiled at her, “Well, I’m much better now that you’re here with me.”

She smiled and stifled a yawn, resting her head on his shoulder, “Well I’m glad.” 

“Tired?”

“Mhmm.”

He laughed softly, “Let’s go get you to sleep then, alright? Tomorrow’s a big day.”

“Works for me,” she said yawning again. “Durja?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you, for being patient today and meeting everybody.”

“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile. “I loved it.”

“And I love you.”

“I love you too…”


End file.
